Vivid Art Collective has welcomed a new artist to their fold, in a bid to showcase even more incredible talent from around the region.
Mandurah-based artist Donna Ree Muir’s unique and sought-after collection of polymer clay jewellery adds another element to the Smart Street Mall gallery.
The exhibition space has been open since November 17, and draws together works from a group of Mandurah-based artists.
Muir came into the spotlight at the gallery when her entry into a previous competition blew judges away.
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Weeks later, plans were put in place to display Muir’s work alongside other local artists in the exhibition space.
Muir has been working with the medium for the past eight years.
She said smaller items can take between four to six hours, with larger items taking up to four days to finish.
On average, Muir can finish about three pieces a week.
Prior to joining the Vivid Art Collective, Muir exhibited her work in smaller shops or cafes.
She said joining the gallery gave her work greater exposure to a broader audience.
Other artists at the gallery have also helped Muir capitalise on social media platforms such as Instagram.
“The talent in Mandurah and WA has blown me away,” she said.
“It inspires me to do more, especially being at Vivid and surrounding yourself with the art world.
“It’s good to have recognition from the gallery and to be asked to join.”
Muir isn’t just creative in design but also in her technique.
She’s known to use a wide and often bizarre array of tools to create her masterpieces.
From salad bowls to pasta machines, Muir uses her immediate surrounding to bring her works to life.
“The clay is actually quite soft and you have to mix the colours,” she said.
“I use a pasta machine to mix the colours. Originally, there was a bit of cranking but now I have a little motor on there.”
Muir uses cardboard cutouts and salad bowls to develop shapes for her necklaces and cookie cutters to create earring molds.
Her favourite technique is creating “canes” and molding them onto sheets.
“The cane is a piece of clay that has the pattern all the way through it,” she explained.
“I take tiny slices, around a millimetre thick, and lay them on another sheet.
“Then I can form from that sheet any shape that I want. It’s very, very versatile.
“I like the intricacy. I like the design element of thinking of it in your own head, going through the trials and working it out to see what comes out in the end.”
Muir said it was an exciting time to be in the industry, particularly in Mandurah.
She encouraged people to embrace their local artists.
“It’s really important. They don’t realise what talent they have here,” she said.
Muir said she was hoping to host workshops at the gallery in the future.
If you would like to find out more about the Vivid Art Collective visit their website or pop down to their gallery in the Smart Street Mall.
The pieces displayed at the gallery are changed every eight weeks.
